The Blow-Up

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The Blow-Up
Live album by
Television
Released1982
Recorded1978
VenueCBGB
LabelROIR[1]
Television chronology
Adventure
(1978) 		The Blow-Up
(1982) 		Television
(1992)

The Blow-Up is a live album by the American band Television, released as The Blow Up on cassette in 1982.[2][3] It was reissued in 1990 and again in 1999.[4][5] The songs first appeared on a bootleg titled Arrow.[6]

Production[edit]

Recorded at CBGB in 1978, the album was released four years after the band broke up.[7][8] It contains covers of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and "Satisfaction".[9] ROIR allegedly acquired the recording from the fan who had bootlegged the band's shows; The Blow-Up's sound quality is typical of a bootlegged recording.[10][11][12] "Little Johnny Jewel" had previously only been issued as a single.[13]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Robert ChristgauB+[15]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[16]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[12]
St. Petersburg TimesB[17]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[13]

Robert Christgau, who cowrote the liner notes, stated that, "as with so many ROIR cassettes (and commercial tapes in general), audio makes the difference between a laudable document and living history," and called the version of "Little Johnny Jewel" "definitive."[15] The New York Times praised the "lyrical, incendiary" renditions.[18]

AllMusic wrote that the album "comes awfully close to being an essential document, simply because the band's studio albums didn't always capture the rawness and spontaneity that fueled their on-stage improvisations."[14] In 1990, The Philadelphia Inquirer determined that The Blow-Up "captures the heady intensity of the best guitar band to come out of New York's late-'70s punk/new-wave scene."[19] The Vancouver Sun admired the "breathtaking dual guitar interplay."[20] Spin listed the 1999 reissue as one of the five best of 1999, deeming "Little Johnny Jewel" "the height of love between man and E-string."[21]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."The Blow-Up" 
2."See No Evil" 
3."Prove It" 
4."Elevation" 
5."I Don't Care" 
6."Venus de Milo" 
7."Foxhole" 
8."Ain't That Nothin'" 
9."Knockin' on Heaven's Door" 
10."Little Johnny Jewel" 
11."Friction" 
12."Marquee Moon" 
13."Satisfaction" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hart, Ron (Apr 19, 1999). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Report. 58 (614): 29.
  2. ^ "BOMB Magazine | Television's The Blow-Up". BOMB Magazine.
  3. ^ Thompson, Dave (September 17, 2000). "Alternative Rock". Hal Leonard Corporation – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Kot, Greg (26 Apr 1990). "ROIR, aka Reachout International Records Inc., is a cassette-only...". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 14.
  5. ^ Mathur, Paul (May 1, 1999). "The Blow Up". Melody Maker. 76 (17): 36.
  6. ^ Gale, Ezra (December 16, 1999). "Frank Emilio, Television". Rotations. Miami New Times.
  7. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1129.
  8. ^ "Television". Trouser Press. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Tucson Weekly: Rhythm & Views (June 10 - June 16, 1999)". www.tucsonweekly.com.
  10. ^ Bowman, David (April 6, 1999). "Guitar refugees". Salon.
  11. ^ "12 O'Clock Track: Listen to Television rock out in 1978". Chicago Reader. March 11, 2014.
  12. ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 696.
  13. ^ a b Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 398–399.
  14. ^ a b "Television - The Blow-Up Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  15. ^ a b "Robert Christgau: CG: Television". www.robertchristgau.com.
  16. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 83.
  17. ^ Vivinetto, Gina (16 July 1999). "Three Punk Bands Live". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 14.
  18. ^ Palmer, Robert (24 Nov 1982). "THE POP LIFE". The New York Times. p. C13.
  19. ^ Milward, John (29 Mar 1990). "A RECORD FIRM THAT ZIGS WHILE ALL THE REST ZAG". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E1.
  20. ^ Mackie, John (16 June 1990). "Verlaine the enigma returns". Vancouver Sun. p. H7.
  21. ^ Dolan, Jon (Jan 2000). "Five Best Reissues". Spin. 16 (1): 78.
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